Controversial Holmes cleared to play county cricket

Former Warwickshire off-spinner Maurice Holmes has been cleared to bowl again in county cricket though his controversial doosra remains banned.

The 21-year-old Loughborough University student was banned from bowling in all first and second team cricket in July after his action failed to pass muster with an independent review panel.

Holmes had twice been reported by umpires in the first half of the season for having a suspect bowling action though the terms of his suspension were subsequently relaxed to allow him to play second team cricket.

Having done remedial work on his action, Holmes re-submitted himself for testing two weeks ago and has now been cleared to resume bowling in county cricket.

But Holmes, nicknamed the ‘English Murali’ because of similarities between his action and that of Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, will not be permitted to bowl his doosra.

“A comprehensive analysis revealed that his action for the ‘doosra’ did not meet the requirements as laid down in the regulations,” said the England and Wales Cricket Board in a statement.

“But the same assessment found that Holmes’ off-break delivery was bowled within the tolerance level and so he can continue to bowl this type of delivery in competitive county cricket.”

The decision, nevertheless, comes too late to save Holmes’s Warwickshire career as he was released at the end of the season having made just one appearance in the County Championship and three in the Clydesdale Bank 40.

It does, however, offer him a glimmer of hope of being able to find another county though his unusual action is always likely to be the subject of debate and scrutiny.